George Wenschhof
Congressional Leadership Stays the Same - in spite of the "wave" election in which republicans gained control of the House and also gained seats in the Senate, the leadership remained the same as before the elections.
Both, the Republican and Democratic Parties will know in two years if staying the course was the right decision.
Meanwhile, a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds 73% believe there will be little change after the election and 76% believe the country is headed for more divisiveness. You can read more on the poll results here.
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to Hold Votes for D.A.D.T. and DREAM Act - both controversial bills will be brought up in the lame duck session in early December. The NY Times has more here.
The pentagon survey report on D.A.D.T. will be released on December 1 and in spite of opposition by Senator John McCain, the bill repealing the current military policy toward gays/lesbians should be passed.
The DREAM Act will be a heavier lift for Democrats as will be introduced as a stand alone bill and not an attempt toward comprehensive immigration reform. Heated rhetoric is expected as the bill provides for a pathway to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. A good bill which could easily be torpedoed due to the lack of consensus of overall immigration reform.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for ratification of START - testifying in front of her former Senate colleagues, she argued the treaty with Russia can not wait for approval. The White House is fighting for approval of this nuclear arms reduction treaty which requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate. TheHill.com has more here.
Failure to have this treaty ratified would be a major blow to the Obama administration.
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Rangel Sanctions Expected Today - the House Ethics committee is meeting this morning to determine the punishment for representative charles Ragel (D-NY) who was found guilty on 11 of 12 ethics charges.
On tap is representative Maxine Waters (D-Calf.) who has her ethics hearing scheduled for November 29. She is accused of intervening in helping a Bank, where her husband owned stock, receive federal funds.
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Unemployment extension set for a vote - so far 319 Billion has been spent in unemployment compensation and a fifth extension of benefits is set to receive a vote prior to the end of the year. If the benefits are not extended, 2 million will stop receiving benefits. You can read more here.
319 billion spent funding a national public service employment program for the unemployed would have been a better use of tax payers money.
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More on Palin running for President in 2012.
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Thursday, November 18, 2010
Daily Political Wire 11-18-2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Daily Political Wire 10-15-2010
George Wenschhof
Obama administration challenges Judge's ban of D.A.D.T. - on the same day President Obama was speaking to young voters attending the MTV town hall and saying he will end the military policy on Gays serving in the armed services, the Justice Department filed a suit asking for a stay on the injunction issued by a Judge ordering the military to immediately stop the D.A.D.T. policy. The Hill.com has more here.
For the second time this week, the president was flat when appearing before young voters, a segment Democrats need to come out in high levels in order to be competitive in the mid term elections. You can read more on the MTV town hall here.
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Democrats lose Round One on Health Care Reform lawsuit - the Justice department had sought to have a law suit challenging the constitutionality of health care reform dismissed. The suit brought by the state of Florida challenges the requirement that everyone purchase health insurance. Stay Tuned... Politico.com has more here.
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President Obama visits Delaware today to Stump for Coons - he will be joined in Wilmington by Vice President Joe Biden. Chris Coons is leading Republican tea party candidate Christine O'Donnell by double digits in the polls. However, Coons is a dull candidate and the democrats are not taking any race for granted in this change election. You can read more here.
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Reid-Angel Debate in Nevada - as I watched the debate yesterday, I felt sorry for the residents of Nevada as neither candidate came across very well. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) kept saying to Angel she just did not understand how "Washington works" - not a good line to use in this election, and tea party favorite Sharron Angel (R) continued to show how little she understood about any issue. No wonder the polls have this race as a "pick-em" contest. The Washington Post has more here.
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Tea Party Candidates running Strong - whether the desire for change in Washington fueled the "change wave" in or whether the tea party influenced the desire for a change may never be known. What is known is the strength many of the tea party candidates have in the mid term elections and the likelihood they will bring a majority to the republicans in the House and maybe even the Senate.
The NY Times points out tea party candidates are leading in 33 House races and 8 Senate contests. You can read more here.
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Federal reserve chair Ben Bernanke speaks today - all ears are tuned to what he will say about continuing high unemployment and too low inflation. His prepared remarks indicate he believes further stimulus by government is needed, but provides little details on how the central bank will act when it meets November 2-3, after the mid term elections. Bloomberg.com has more here.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Daily Political Wire 9-20-2010
George Wenschhof
Today, the president and vice president travel to stump for Democratic candidates - President Obama will be in Pennsylvania headlining an event for Joe Sestak who is running against Republican Pat Toomey for the senate seat held currently by Arlen Specter.
Biden will travel to Ohio to help Governor Ted Strickland who is trailing Republican candidate John Kasich in the polls.
Also today, President Obama will appear at a televised town hall meeting. John Hardwood of CNBC will moderate. You can read more here.
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DREAM ACT and D.A.D.T. up for discussion in Senate this week - both controversial measures will surely receive strong rhetoric from both sides of the aisle. Ending a policy directed toward gays and lesbians who serve in the military and providing a pathway to citizenship for children of immigrants who serve in the military or have attended college will receive media attention this week. The NY Times has more here.
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Bottom kill of Gulf oil well successful - finally, after an estimated 172 million gallons of oil had gushed into the gulf. The sealing of the well from both the top and the bottom is considered a permanent fix.
Now, comes a continuing effort to restore the areas affected by the spill and the payment of funds from the BP escrow account to those who were hurt financially from the disaster. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Sunday "Talking Heads" wrap - from what former Secretary of State Colin Powell to former President Bill Clinton, CNN.com has a quick wrap up with short video clips here.
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